On Thursday Morning a Shallow M5.8 Earthquake struck near Ruteng in Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 19th, 2026. Last updated August 20th, 2026.

Under land 25 kilometer from Ruteng in Indonesia, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Thursday August 20th, 2026. Roughly 3.1 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 25 kilometer (16 mi) north of Ruteng in East Nusa Tenggara. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 20, 2026 06:45 (Makassar Time) - Aug 19, 2026 22:45 Universal Time.
Location:	25 km north of Ruteng, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°23'32"S 120°31'40"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (10 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 3.1 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 3.1 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 57,600 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.9 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
1,946,000	III	Weak	Probably none
853,200	IV	Light	Likely none
239,500	V	Moderate	Very light
57,600	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 25 kilometer (16 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ruteng (East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ruteng is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Makassar is located 380 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Labuan Bajo is located 71 km to the west and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Kupang is located 392 km to the south-east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VII.

Shaking reported by 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in one place in Indonesia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Ruteng, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 5 people.

254 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 254 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 10 km (6 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 5.7

This main shock was prefaced by 1153 smaller foreshocks. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 6 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 14th, 2026, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 115 km (72 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck on August 14th, 2026.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 8 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 20/08/26 09:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tm0u
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260819_0000723
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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